Quiet January days - and nights

 It is definitely warming up next week, but there is a threat of more snow before that happens.  It is 4 a.m. and I've been down an hour (woke at 2.30 tonight).  I've looked out of the door, but no more appears to have fallen yet.  I am happy for rain, tbh.  At least that doesn't normally stop me getting out and about and the house will be warmer.

In the afternoon, when I go through to the living room to do some stitching and watch tv. I look out across the garden and watch half a dozen brawny Blackbirds, the usual Sparrows and a couple of feisty Robins under the shrubs on the bank.  They especially like the Pieris which is back left.  They spend a goodly while turning over the leaves and finding edibles.  I had some stale bread yesterday, so shredded it into small pieces and put some under there and some on the compost heap.  A couple of gone-over cooking apples got lobbed under there too, for them to devour.

Not a lot happening.  I did pop down to town to get some cheesy biccies and a newspaper yesterday.  The lanes were fine (I did check first in case there was black ice).  They were just wet though.  

I still haven't made the chocolate apple cake for my neighbours, so MUST do that first thing today.  In fact, I may stew the apples up in a moment, so they are cool and ready to use after breakfast.

I found the energy to do some housework yesterday - it has to be done!

In the evening I stitched more of the Pippi picture and have finished the cat part.  Onto leaves and more flowers now. 

I am debating going to my patchwork class on Wednesday.  A wet rainy day.  I need to put some work in on the quilt that has been abandoned since going to NZ.  Forgotten where I am with it tbh.  Pam will be pleased to see me again, as I always pop round to see her before my class.  I should have finished the first jigsaw by then, so will take that along for her.

Right, back to bed.

 

Our Anniversary

 

I wasn't very with it yesterday.  I didn't even look at what the date was.  I guess I was distracted by the non-storm-here and the bit more snow, and my brain not being totally in residence.  Then I got a message from Gabs, has a parcel arrived yet.  I hadn't heard anything come through the door, but went out to check and saw tyre marks in the snow, opened the door and a big pink cardboard box was outside, containing this lovely gift.  Keith and I would have been married 38 years yesterday - and I had not been awake enough to remember.  I felt gutted to have forgotten.  Living alone, especially in winter, few things happen to make you aware of the day or date.  Anyway, 4 of the super-duper chocolates really hit the spot, and the Prosecco is in the fridge for when I am not on steroids or Anti-biotics.

The flowers got the Pippi seal of approval . . .

 A snowy view from Tam's side bedroom window.

One from the other window.  A heavier fall of snow on the hills.  It's slowly melting in my yard and garden and is meant to be much warmer next week.

My friend Pam popped round at lunchtime with chips for us to share, which hit the spot.  It was good to have company as I do get lonely here on my own in the winter, and have scarcely been out since getting back from NZ.

Needless to say, the steroids have prevented me sleeping beyond 12.30 a.m. when I went to the bathroom.  I'm on them for another four days . . . I have the heated blanket round me and will take up a hot water bottle when I go back to bed.  I was too hot earlier, so the hotty botty will warm my feet without making me too hot generally.  The winter duvet with bed heater is a bit too efficient!

I have been watching a rather dark "Nordic Noir" Swedish drama on tv.  It's called Land of Sin, and is very good, but I can only watch one episode at a time and then have to watch Crusoe or Lucy Worsley to cheer myself up! Last night I found Lucy Worsley's Blitz Spirit, which I hadn't seen, so began to watch that.  Just one episode, and it dealt with the background to the War and how people reacted, and included bits from MO diaries (Mass Observation - set up to try and gauge how people really felt about the war).  Oh, and that iconic poster "Keep Calm and Carry On" which was never actually used (patriotic ones used instead - Your Freedom is in Peril, Defend it with all Your Might etc) and it was only when the last? copy of KC&CO turned up in 2000 that it became so famous, used on everything from mugs to cushions to t-shirts to wall prints.  There was a paper shortage in 1940, and 2.45 million KC&CO posters were pulped.  I can recommend it, though some of the stories were quite upsetting.

I wonder how we would cope if/when there is WWIII.  A whole different ball game now that atomic warfare (according to Putin) is the first line of defence, not the ending . . .  They are already talking of conscription.  

I could have had an evening out last night - it was the History Society's Christmas meal, and I'd paid a deposit.  However, I still have no appetite (managed to force down a boughten Pukka steak and kidney pie for tea, with veg) and the lane would probably have been icy on the return from town, and I felt yuk and NOT in the mood for socializing.  I shall go out today for a paper and some fresh air.  Builth High Street is shut off for road repairs for 5 weeks I think. The workmen managed to cut through the main electricity cable in the week, causing huge sparks and noise.  That won't have helped the shops, who are already well down on takings from the other roadworks before Christmas, and now no on-street parking.  We can at least use the car park on the Groe for free for an hour to visit the shops.

Well, it's 20 to 3 now and I am still wide awake.  I am going to be shattered for the next few days, but my sinuses are clearing up and my chest improving too.  Needs must.

Update - I was still awake approaching 6 a.m., but warm in bed . . .  I shall be fit for nothing today.

Storm Goretti

 Well, I made all sorts of preparations for Storm Goretti - candles out, matches, torches, Thermos flasks of boiling water for hotty botties and cups of tea, electric blanket on early, mobile fully charged etc.  I watched all three episodes of Lucy Worsley's Victorian Murder Club, and greatly enjoyed this series, despite falling asleep sitting up in Episode 2, so had to watch it again.  The earlier heavy rain turned to lighter snow, and even when I went to bed, there wasn't much in the way of wind, let alone storm, so I will assume we were on the edge of it here.  Phew.  It's dark yet, but looks like we only had an inch or so of snow.  I'll put the news on shortly and see how the rest of the country fared.  So much for all the nay-sayers on Facebook who said we would just get rain.  Many of the roads in the Welsh valleys were struggling with the heavier snowfall and even Swansea, on the coast, got a goodly amount.

I made good progress with my jigsaw yesterday, and really enjoyed it.  Not too challenging.  I think Tenby will be more demanding as there's lots of sea in that one.

I will probably bake a cake for my neighbours who did the shopping the other day.  I have bananas and cooking apples to use up.  I will walk round to their house with it, to get some fresh air and stretch my legs.  I will make a pan of Minestrone soup too.  This weather calls for soup.

January is one of those months which can easily be frittered away doing nothing and watching tv, so I will try to get more into craft mode.  I am enjoying sewing the Pippi-cat embroidery.  Really need to do some quilt making too.

I hope all the other UK followers are OK, and that the ghastly bush fire in Australia hadn't affected folk.  Someone had put up a photo of what appeared to be storm clouds in Oz, but was the smoke from the bush fire, and I pray they are ok.

Off to the GP

 OK, I have had enough of this wretched sinus infection.  It is clearly NOT going to clear up without a little medical assistance.  After having a good peak flow reading before bed, I was then downstairs at 4 a.m. with my lungs struggling for air.  I was trying to stay awake beyond 8 p.m. last night too, despite watching the excellent Lucy Worsley and her Victorian Murder Club.  I just made it to 8.30 p.m.  When I phoned the Surgery, I was so croaky once more. 

I was reading this yesterday.  She is apparently working on several new books (go Alice) so I will see what I can order at the Library.

Bless you lady.  Whoever donated the colourful canal scene, had carefully put the border in a separate bag to the middle pieces.  Made a big difference to getting started and I am really enjoying doing it.

Meanwhile, we have Storm Goretti heading our way, and our part of Wales is in an Amber warning area.  Gales are supposed to be up to 60-70 mph (eek) and anything up to 20 cm of snow.  I imagine the snow drifts will be something else with gales that strong.  Shades of "the Blizzard in the West" of 1891, when whole trains were buried on the tracks for days on end.  That must have been a pretty bad winter all told, as up to 60 cm of snow fell in Kent in December, and 40 cm in Ipswich, and 30 cm in Crowborough, Sussex. Cornwall had 45 cm.  

(Eden notes: 220 people dead; 65 ships foundered in the English Channel; 6000 sheep perished; countless trees uprooted; 14 trains stranded in Devon alone.) Although the West Country was the worst affected, southern England, the Midlands, and south Wales also suffered. 

So, once I've been to the GP and Boots the Chemist, it will be curtains pulled and snuggle up indoors.  The Storm is due to hit from teatime onwards - 9 a.m. tomorrow morning.  I hope we don't lose power . . .  I will make sure I fill my new Thermos with boiling water for a hotty botty and tea.

Today I managed to escape

 The warmer temperatures and yesterday's rain helped clear the roads - our lane was totally clear today, but our trackway very icy and I nearly slid out sideways onto the lane.  I put my mask on and trudged round Tesco, but have to say I was quite tired when I came out from pushing the trolley round (cat food is never light), nor tins etc either. I kept in 2nd gear and drove onto the ice slick and made it straight up the incline and into the yard.  Phew.  Right, everything put away and if it blows a blizzard tomorrow, I've got it covered.  I had a quick jigsaw hunt in the charity shops and Cefynllys School charity shop had these in, for £1 each.

We used to enjoy going to Tenby, with its Medieval walls and narrow streets and lovely beaches.  As you can see, this one has the Pippi seal of approval . . .

This lovely colourful one shouldn't be too difficult to do as lots of different colours in it.

I am going to rest up now.  Clearly my upper body strength needs some working on, especially as I have a Fair next month.

Oooh, nearly forgot, Keith's Lufwaffe photograph album is in auction at the end of the month and they have given it a very glowing write-up, so fingers x'd . . .

Sorry, my brain not up to much in the way of words.

12 deg in the kitchen last night. . .

 

. . . Probably the rest of the house too, though I only had two cats on the bed this morning.  I had set the central heating to come on when it dropped to 14, so came down to warm radiators.  It had probably been colder in the night and our coldest night yet. (It was minus 7 in Brecon, which is 20 miles south of here).  We are still in a yellow warning area for snow/ice.  I can't see me getting out today as a bit more snow has fallen overnight and the partly-melted lanes will have frozen, although several neighbours were out gritting the hills yesterday, so they could get to work.  Should have gone to Llandod last Sunday - the benefit of hindsight!  It doesn't take much snow to bring things to a standstill round here and I don't have a four wheel drive.  Hey ho though, it doesn't snow very often or last very long.  Usually.  So let's hope I haven't just tempted fate and we are in for another winter like 1962/63!  I rewatched the programme about that again last night and had forgotten quite how deep the snow drifts were in places.  The West Country got it bad.  Drifts up to 20 feet deep there (6.1m).  Probably the same in Yorkshire.   Someone suggested in the past it would be a good idea to move into the town so I could get to the shops in my dotage, but then in weather like this it would be daft to go out for shopping on foot, so I'd be no better off really in bad weather.  

I shall stay indoors and sew today I think.  I am getting on well with the Pippi Picture.

It's slow stitching with a single thread for the puss cat though.

I may do some patchwork too, but need to check out how cold the craft room is first as it has a large south facing window (so should get the sun).  

So, not a great deal to report.  Still watching Crusoe, Annika, History Hit, Time Team etc.   I think I shall make a pan of soup now.  Definitely soup weather.

Update - been along the very snowy track.  Next door's car tracks when he went to work first thing.  A white car abandoned by the lane, when they couldn't get up the hill above me. I could do with some lorries and tractors going up and down the track to break the snow up a bit.    Slightly warmer out as the snow is melting off the branches and wires.  I found my sink pipe was frozen so have been out pouring hot water on the pipes which has done the trick, and some boiling water down the sink too.  I had to empty the several inches of water in the sink though, using an old saucepan . . .  Just having a late breakfast of cheese on toast.

Snow Walk

 

The house looks a little wobbly in my photo - almost like a dreamy image.   I didn't walk far - just up the hill towards our Reservoir, but the views are good and how I enjoyed it.  First proper walk I have had since becoming ill - just over 1/4 mile each way, but it was so good to get out.

I am so lucky to have such beautiful views on my doorstep.

I had one foot in the tyre mark, and one in the deeper snow, for balance.  It wasn't icy.  Only two vehicles had used the road - one up and one down.  A 4x4 without doubt.

The sun hasn't melted the snow on the trees yet, although it felt quite warm on my face.  We are due rain tomorrow and Weds and then 4 days or so of snow so I will get out when I can and top up the store cupboard.

I have given up on the beautiful jigsaw.  When I had to get a magnifying glass to read the tiny writing on the pieces, I knew I was on a loser.  A shame, as it was so lovely.  I will look for a 500 piece one in the charity shop that my eyes can manage!